Never Say Die
by AuthoressSama
Summary: The kingdoms of the world have kept a strong hold on peace until a coup begins. Two crown princes are given to two pirate captains that must raise them to take their rightful places on the thrones.  A continuation of Fidgeting
1. Raising the Rambunctious

**Disclaimer: I do not own Axis Powers Hetalia. **

**Okay, so "Fidgeting" got really good feedback. I've decided that I can't resist writing a fan fiction with little Alfred and Captain Kirkland. ****You should read "Fidgeting" before reading this seeing as it is the prequel. It is only one page long. Here is a link to it:**** w w w . fan fiction s/7590656/1/Fidgeting**

**Summary:** The kingdoms of the world have kept a strong hold on peace until a coup begins. Two crown princes are given to two pirate captains that must raise them to take their rightful places on the thrones. A continuation of Fidgeting. Human AU

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><p>Never Say Die<p>

Chapter 1 – Raising the Rambunctious

Captain Arthur Kirkland gazed boredly at the rival pirate captain that was on his knees, visually begging for mercy. It was important to keep a menacing or indifferent expression when dealing with hostages or enemies. After all, Captain Kirkland could not afford to show a shred of compassion to anyone publicly. Though, of course, it was rather difficult to keep a stern stare while his new ward burbled and jabbered incessantly about a compass while subconsciously playing with Arthur's coat.

A slow smirk appeared on his face as he watched the man he conquered suffer from his ward's constant chatter. Only his brilliant green eyes looked down at the child. "Alfred," he spoke in a controlled tone that held a slight sharpness. The babe's head turned to stare straight up at his guardian's face. Arthur lifted his left index finger to his lips and curtly shushed Alfred, "Shh."

Alfred grinned brightly and pressed his right index finger to his lips, his finger pressing against his soft skin. He giggled and then mimicked Arthur, "Shbsth."

It would have been an adorable exchange if Captain Kirkland was not about to give an order. He returned his attention to one of his trusted crew mates, Ludwig Belschmidt. The crew mate was only sixteen, but he was far stronger than he looked and he could follow orders without hesitation. Alfred whispered and hummed under his breath while buttoning and unbuttoning the buttons on Arthur's coat as Arthur delivered his demand. "Ludwig," Captain Kirkland kept his curt tone, "strap a cannon ball to each of his ankles and toss him overboard."

"Yes, Captain," Ludwig answered immediately and respectfully before dragging the condemned man out of the captain's cabin.

Once the door closed, Captain Kirkland sighed deeply and his harsh expression dissipated immediately. He let his right leg down, pressing his right foot against the floorboards and allowing Alfred to sit more comfortably on his lap. "Alfred," Captain Kirkland ran a hand through his precious ward's hair, "you can't be such a distraction while I'm deciding on how to send someone away."

Alfred blew air up Arthur's sleeve as the hem of it rubbed against his nose. His bouncy voice hummed, "Was a disackton?"

Captain Kirkland laughed softly and wrapped his arms around Alfred, holding him to his chest. "A distraction is something that takes my attention away from what I need to focus on," he enunciated and explained.

Alfred pressed his small feet against Arthur's thighs, meeting Arthur's line of vision. His right hand reached up while his left hand rested on Arthur's right cheek and eyelashes. He pulled Captain Kirkland's pirate hat from its perch and let it drop onto his own head. Alfred mumbled while tipping the hat from side to side, "Imma distrahckshin?"

"You most assuredly are," Captain Kirkland continued the conversation as he stood up and nuzzled the tip of his nose against Alfred's left cheek.

Alfred giggled again and proceeded to hug the entirety of Arthur's face. "Awdur," he whined, "hungy. I'm hungy, Awdur."

Arthur's tone showed false worry, "Hungry?" He pulled Alfred from his face and stared into his eyes, "You are hungry yet again?" He let Alfred's body rest in his left arm as he used his right index finger to tickle Alfred's stomach, "Where do you store all of that food? I fear that you shall one day eat my entire ship and your belly will pop right open."

Alfred giggled and pushed at Arthur's finger, "I-I'm not gonna pop! …Am I?"

Arthur stopped his tickling and took the pirate hat from Alfred's head. He placed his valued symbol of authority back onto his cranium and strolled out of his cabin while holding Alfred. His gaze immediately hardened and his caring smile disappeared the moment he stepped outside onto the deck. He looked around, monitoring his crew's progress while talking to Alfred, "Of course you're not going to pop, poppet. Now, what is it you want to eat?"

Alfred stared at the gulls that flew overhead and he waved his arms all around, attempting to grab one. He grunted and hopped a bit, "Hamburger. I wanna hamburger!"

Captain Kirkland's gaze returned to his ward and he seemed slightly confused. He passed the word 'hamburger' through his toddler/adult translator in his mind, but he simply could not understand what the child demanded. "Alfred," He spoke sharply in order to obtain Alfred's attention. Alfred stopped reaching for the seagulls and met with Captain Kirkland's line of vision. Arthur asked, "What is a hamburger?"

"A hamburger," Alfred spoke slowly as if processing the word, "is…a…hamburger." He paused and then grinned as he went on speaking, "is a burger. Is a hamburger. Is a burger. Is a hamburger." The child repeated the phrase and even added a fluctuation to the sound to sing it. His head bounced from side to side in tune with his humming.

Captain Kirkland bit his lip to keep from laughing at the excruciatingly cute display. He cleared his throat and spoke sharply again, "Alfred!" Alfred stopped his singing and his lips retreated to the inside of his mouth. Arthur stared at Alfred as the child bit his lip and formed his lips into all sorts of shapes. It was when Alfred was trying to pull his top lip over his nose and his bottom lip past his chin that Arthur set Alfred down on the wooden deck. He held both of Alfred's forearms away from his face. "Alfred," Captain Kirkland nearly hissed, "is there anyone else on this ship that knows what a hamburger is?"

Alfred nodded his head multiple times, but stopped when his guardian pressed his forehead against his. "Hamburgers make my tummy have a happy," He responded with a straight face.

Arthur snorted and ducked his head down in order to cover his expression and silent laughter. Once he regained composure, Arthur let go of Alfred's forearms and told him, "Show me who else knows what a hamburger is."

Alfred nodded again and ran across the deck with his shoeless feet. "Ludwid," he shouted at the top of his lungs, "Ludwid!"

Ludwig was leaning on the ship's railing, staring down at the receding bubbles of air in the water. He turned around just in time to see Alfred leap up at him. Ludwig gasped and dodged Alfred's tackle.

Alfred's shriek of excitement followed him over the side of the ship. Captain Kirkland sprinted over to the railing. His scream for Alfred echoed, sending all of the crew's eyes straight to where Arthur was leaning over the edge of the railing. He began to strip off his hat and coat to dive in after the toddler. Ludwig pushed pass Captain Kirkland and dove down into the water near where Alfred had landed. A long trail of rope followed after Ludwig.

Arthur and the rest of the crew stared with wide eyes into the water. Air came to Arthur in strangled breaths and his eyes refused to blink. There was a hard tug on the rope and Captain Kirkland barked at his crew to pull the rope. His crew complied and yanked on the rope, pulling Ludwig and Alfred out of the salty water.

Alfred coughed and was crushed against Ludwig's chest. Once the two reached the banister, Captain Kirkland pried Alfred from Ludwig's arm and held him close. Arthur buried his face in Alfred's honey gold locks and calmed himself. After about a minute, Arthur looked up at Ludwig, his face stern again. "Thank you, Ludwig," his voice nearly broke.

Ludwig nodded as if to say 'you're welcome'.

Alfred mumbled against Arthur's chest and pushed against it. Arthur held Alfred out at arm's length. He asked, "What was that, poppet?"

A bright grin spread across the toddler's face, "I wanna do it again!" His arms waved all around in excitement.

Captain Kirkland swallowed and shook his head negatively, "N-no, Alfred. Let us just focus on lunch."

Alfred gasped and pressed the palms of his hands on his cheeks, "Oh, yeah!" He turned as best as he could towards Ludwig, "Ludwid! Ludwid! My tummy wans a happy!"

"Yes," Captain Kirkland echoed, "what is this 'hamburger' that Alfred desires so much?"

Ludwig's clear, blue eyes sparked in realization and a bit of a smile played onto his face. Alfred had remembered the sandwich made of bread and beef he had made him while they were still in Hamburg, Germany. "It is merely a sandwich I made for him," Ludwig answered, "It is made of ground beef and bread."

"Lettuce, tomato, onion," Alfred hummed under his breath the other ingredients he wanted to try on the sandwich as he squirmed against Arthur's hold on him.

Captain Kirkland hesitantly set the child on the ground, fearful that he'd jump over the side of the ship again. Instead, Alfred took Ludwig's hand and ran to the kitchen with him. Arthur sighed in relief. He was lucky to have so many babysitters on the crew. If he were to take care of Alfred all by himself, his body would surely give out from exhaustion. In fact, there was a surplus of babysitters that were all too glad to take care of Alfred once Arthur felt the need to rest. There was Ludwig, of course, and Alfred simply loved to cook with Feliciano, a sixteen year old Italian, in the kitchen. There was also the Russian pre-teen aboard, Ivan. Alfred often challenged him to feats of strength. Ivan always won, but that just caused Alfred to burn with a fire of determination and try harder next time. The rest of the crew would rarely admit to wanting to care for Alfred, but the babe's infectious grin and sparkling eyes were simply irresistible.

It was often that Alfred would take to sprinting across the deck, grabbing rope and dancing and jumping around with it. This constant jumping and dancing barefoot across a deck that was usually wet worried Arthur to great lengths. He was frightened and tended to wince whenever he saw Alfred in one of his humming fits, bouncing on the balls of his feet down the stairs or something of the like.

It was not every day that Alfred was allowed to accompany Captain Kirkland onto shore; in fact, Arthur _never_took Alfred with him when he went to shore. The other crewmates always managed to divide his attention enough to rile him up until he needed a nap. This plan had worked successfully every time they had stopped at a harbor, but this time, Captain Kirkland figured that Alfred was old enough to have shoes.

When Arthur told Alfred that he was going to take him on land, Alfred's sky blue eyes grew and shined like never before. "Land," he would breathe heavily, "I-I'm going on land!" He was nervous, yes, but he was going to be with his guardian. He would be safe even without all of the crew keeping their eyes on him. The feeling that was stronger than fear or nervousness was adrenaline - pure adrenaline. The thought of going on land terrified him and excited him to the point that he just had to run around the mast and shriek that he was finally going to be able to feel grass and sand.

It was a mystery where all of Alfred's exuberance came from. Every day, Arthur wondered how Alfred was related to his older twin brother, Matthew. The child was so meek and gentle - at least that's what he read from Francis's letters. It was regrettable that Captain Kirkland was not allowed to visit Matthew or even let Alfred _know_ about his older twin brother until both of the twins were twenty-one. Arthur often thought that the separation of the crown princes of the United American Kingdoms was futile and unnecessarily painful, but then he remembered the coup and the full amount of danger Alfred and Matthew were actually in.

He liked to remember how small and adorable the twins were as infants. It was only a year and a half ago this whole arrangement started. Captain Arthur Kirkland and Captain Francis Bonnefoy were invited formally to the United American Kingdoms. As per usual, they hissed and spat insults at each other at the entrance to the regal castle which was stationed in the middle of the Americas. The two had arrived in normal attire for nobles. After all, they could not afford letting the monarchs of the Americas to know of their crimes as pirates. As the two entered the throne room, they viewed the King and Queen of the United American Kingdoms.

The king's crown was perched precariously upon his long, blonde hair. The fur of its hem had small clumps of black streaking through it as small bits of reflected light traveled through the sapphires, emeralds, and rubies that studded across the gold hoop. Lengthy cords of pale blonde sprouted from the upper right hand corner of the man's smooth forehead and were swept across the left side of his face. The majority of the king's hair was pulled back into a flawless tail of gold. His dark eyebrows were arched into a constant expression of suspicion. His bleak, gray blue eyes had a hint of sorrow embedded within them, only to be broken by small sparks of white light. His nose was slim and long and halted above a firm frown. The chin was strong and showed no signs of faltering. This was a king of great pride, great regret, and experience.

The first thing that the two pirate captains noticed about the queen was her simplistic accessories. The gold shine of her crown passed through and between the rubies, emeralds, and pearls. Each jewel seemed to show a deeper world than the next. The translucent, pale lace head covering was kept in place with the golden crown and it bent and curved against the queen's oval face. The strings of hair at the height of her forehead curled naturally, as if afraid to hinder the beauty of the queen's face. Her milky skin glowed with understanding and compassion. Her nose curved elegantly and balanced out her features. The glossy shine on her lips made them seem perfectly rounded and blended with her flawless complexion. Short, yellow lines made up her even brow; perfectly arched and balanced against the snow white flesh. The most striking features were her eyes. They were emotionless, yet calculating. Lilac and brown swirled around within her distant eyes. Little flecks of pure white dotted amongst the indifferent eyes that were framed with long strands of gold. Overall, the cold, distant eyes and delicately arched features gave her a feeling of charity and strength.

Beside the Queen was a turquoise carriage of which the contents were unknown. That is, until, it began to shake slightly. Both of the captains' eyes diverted slightly to the elegant carriage with thin, gold wheels that were mounted on its sides. They saw one small, chubby hand reach and stretch from its resting place. Three more hands joined the first in reaching up high for the lace that lined the hood of the carriage. The two captains concluded that there were two babies in the carriage.

Arthur Kirkland looked back to the queen. Her graceful eyebrows tilted up in the center of her forehead, giving her a look of sadness. A feeling of regret lingered in her amethyst eyes as she stood and silently walked three feet to the carriage. Her slender fingers reached into the cradle and felt the soft skin of her babes.

The king tore his gaze away from his queen and then looked to the pirate captains. "Arthur Kirkland, Francis Bonnefoy," The King spoke in his strong voice while moving a rather long curl from his line of vision, "we welcome you to our kingdom."

Both Arthur and Francis bowed respectfully. "It is a pleasure to be here, your Highness," Arthur spoke in a serious tone and then stood straight.

"An honor," Francis echoed and mimicked Arthur, but Arthur did not take notice. He was too puzzled by the king's and queen's longing glances towards the cradle. "I cannot help but notice," Francis boldly began, catching Arthur's attention, "that your Highness keeps looking at the carriage."

Arthur subtly glared at Francis. He always knew that the French pirate was too forward and now he expected the King of the United American Kingdoms would silence him for it.

"Yes," The king answered, "yes, we both feel strongly that we must take precautions." Arthur directed his full attention back to the king, eager to hear what he was going to say. Precautions? Why should the United American Kingdoms take precautions? Why should anyone want to provoke such a rash kingdom? The king continued, "As you probably know, there are a great many people in my kingdom that disagree with my decisions." Yes, this was true. Arthur had heard that a coup would happen any day now. "They say that I've been too foolhardy and that I am killing my own people." The king's regretful expression turned into one of annoyance, "Of course people are going to die. This is the real world – people die." His tone heightened as he spoke on, "After all, to make a strong kingdom such as this, we must protect ourselves and the way to do that is to have the other kingdoms of the world fear us and – "

The queen cleared her throat just loud enough to interrupt the king. The king's furious, blue eyes darted to see the queen's calm gaze. He gulped lightly and licked his dry lips as he leaned back in his throne, relaxing. "What I am trying to say is that a coup is imminent and since there are so many people in my kingdom that hate me, we do not stand much of a chance. Here is where we require your immediate and most gracious assistance."

Arthur's eyes widened slightly as he understood. He looked to the queen, who lifted one of the babes from the cradle. Arthur glanced up at Francis to see if he understood as well. He could see the French man gulp inconspicuously. The king nodded, allowing the queen to explain the rest, "You two are to take the crown princes and raise them as if they were your own. Do not allow them to meet or know that they are the crown princes of the United American Kingdoms until they are both twenty-one. When that time comes, Alfred," The queen held the babe she held slightly to gesture that, that child was Alfred, "will rule the Middle American Kingdom and Matthew," she nodded to the other babe that was still reaching for the lace in the cradle, "will rule the Northern American Kingdom."

Arthur was no babysitter. He would have no part in this. Francis was even less interested. Take care of a baby crown prince as the United American Kingdoms would search, trying to slay them while trying to plunder and not get caught at the same time? Impossible, Arthur thought, utterly and completely impossible.

Arthur took a step forward, causing the king to lift his forearm. Arthur stopped and looked at the arm with a confused expression. "The second I lower my arm, the royal guard will burst into the room and cart you two off to the hangman's noose," He threatened, "You two can be replaced. We only chose you because you were so good at avoiding the eye of the kingdoms' navies. It is your choice; be hanged for your crimes as pirate captains, or raise my sons."

Both of the captains glared, not wanting to test how true that threat was. With a heavy sigh, the two agreed unanimously.

The queen's smile brightened a bit. "Arthur Kirkland," Her voice was of great contrast to the king's, "you shall raise Alfred, the younger twin." Arthur nodded in compliance and walked to the queen to receive the babe. He held out his arms, preparing to hold the child. The queen kissed her youngest son on his forehead as a tear slid down her cheek. She gently laid the younger twin in Arthur's waiting arms. Alfred moaned lightly before nuzzling against Arthur's green vest and promptly falling to sleep. A surge of peace and dread shot through Arthur's body as he realized that this child was to be his for the next twenty-one years. He nodded; he would try his hardest to raise the boy to be a fair and just king. Arthur walked back to the center of the room and stood beside Francis. "Francis Bonnefoy," The queen cleared her throat again to keep it from breaking, "you shall raise Matthew, the older twin."

After taking a look at how peaceful Alfred slept, Francis figured that Matthew would not be much more difficult. With slight hesitation, Francis strolled over to the queen. The queen reached into the cradle and held Matthew. Francis's eyes widened at the sight of Matthew's deep, lavender eyes. The babe stretched and yawned, causing a smile to grow on Francis's face. He accepted the child and spoke with a whisper, "Il est mignon." The queen smiled and thanked him in response. Francis walked back to Arthur and stood beside him.

The queen sat back down in her throne. One of her slender fingers wiped a tear from her cheek. "Remember," the king warned, "do _not_ let them meet until they are both twenty-one at which time, they must come back to this kingdom and rule it." Both of the pirates nodded with new determination to carry out the job that had been cast upon them.

It was not long after Arthur Kirkland and Francis Bonnefoy had sailed away from the United American Kingdoms that the coup had started. Even now, as Alfred and Matthew were beginning to speak properly, the coup raged on. It was impressive how long the royal guard had lasted against the rebellion. Arthur just hoped and prayed that they would last.

A sharp tug on Captain Kirkland's arm interrupted him from his memories. Alfred shrieked with laughter as he swung from his guardian's red clad arm. The child could see the harbor in the distance. It would be only a matter of minutes before they reached the sea side town. Alfred was completely immersed in excitement and simply could not wait until he was to try on his new shoes. Sometimes Captain Kirkland figured that the queen knew how hyperactive Alfred really was and gave him to Arthur on purpose. She probably did. Arthur shrugged and swung his arm back and forth to amuse his ward. It did not matter now. At least Alfred was not much of a brat.


	2. The Sweet Spies

**Disclaimer: I don't own Axis Powers Hetalia.**

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><p>Never Say Die<p>

Chapter 2 - The Sweet Spies

"Awdur," Little Alfred shouted as he hung from his guardian's arm, "Awdur, lan!"

Captain Arthur Kirkland allowed a small smile to grace his face as he glanced down at the excited bundle of energy that used his left arm as if it were a rope to swing from. It was partially his own fault; he was swinging his arm forward and back to amuse the toddler. Arthur looked over the ship's railing to watch the clouds roll back and reveal a rather popular port. He bit his lip lightly and regret hit him when he realized that people from the United Kingdom of North and Middle America could be in the port. His emerald eyes focused on a particular point in the distance. His thoughts ran all about his head.

Arthur's thoughts were interrupted when he realized that Alfred began tugging on his arm. "Awdur," the toddler whined, "swing." Alfred stared up at his guardian. Arthur turned his head and looked to meet with Alfred's gaze. The sky blue eyes that seemed to mirror the ultimate freedom of their color were accented with a tight pout of Alfred's lips. Arthur realized he had stopped swinging his arm as he was thinking. When Arthur did not speak, Alfred whined again, "Awdur, swing." He attempted to move the arm back and forth himself, but without any leverage, he could do no such thing.

"I have to go prepare myself, Alfred," Arthur explained, "Would you rather hang from someone else's arm?" Alfred shook his head furiously and climbed up his guardian's arm until he was able to wrap his legs around Arthur's wrist. He nuzzled his cheek against the coat's red fabric and clamped his body onto Captain Kirkland's arm. Arthur covered his mouth with his free hand and breathed deeply to avoid an oncoming fit of laughter. "Forgive me, poppet," He finally spoke when he trusted his voice, "but if you hang on much longer, you'll pull my arm right out of its socket."

Alfred's pout disappeared. He looked up again with confusion quite apparent in his expression. "Was a socked?" He asked.

The captain glanced around and decided to make up an exaggeration on the spot. He always loved Alfred's reactions. Arthur spoke in mock worry, "Alfred, my dear, if you hang onto my arm too long, it will rip from my shoulder and try to wrap around you." Only when Arthur finished what he said, he realized how silly it was. Not only was it completely untrue, but it was an awful story as well. He sighed at his lack of tact.

Immediately, Alfred dropped from Arthur's arm with tears pricking at his eyes. He clamped onto Captain Kirkland's polished, leather boot instead, whining and crying about how he did not want to hurt Arthur.

Arthur's eyes widened in panic. Quickly, the captain knelt down beside Alfred and hugged the toddler to his chest. He cooed quietly so the rest of the crew did not hear. Perhaps he went too far. Alfred seemed to be rather gullible. "It's alright, poppet," he whispered, "you didn't do anything wrong. Now, you'll need to stay with someone else while I prepare, okay?"

Alfred nodded his head and rubbed his eyes. "M'kay," He sniffled as Arthur released him and he watched Arthur walk back into the captain's cabin. Alfred glanced around the ship at all the crew members. Not one of the men on the crew looked at him, causing Alfred to rub his eyes more and sniffle. He looked to his right when he felt a hand on his head. Alfred blinked and then grinned. He giggled, "Iven!"

Ivan Braginski, the Russian thirteen year old, stopped patting Alfred's head and allowed his hand to just rest on top of the toddler's golden hair. Ivan's silver blonde hair waved about in the strong wind, his bangs lightly blocked his violet eyes from time to time. He did not look very daunting at first, but once his hidden strength gathered in his limbs, he could be quite terrifying.

Alfred, being a young and naive child, could not see the intimidation at all. Sometimes Ludwig would take over the task of babysitting once Ivan started to laugh oddly so Alfred would not know the extent of Ivan's patience or lack thereof. Alfred pressed and pushed at Ivan's hand to be removed from his head and whined in frustration when he could not remove the hand. Finally, he fell to his knees and lied back on the deck to stare up at Ivan and to be free of his hand.

Ivan's gentle smile still stayed, but there was a hint of laughter in his eyes. Alfred blinked and blew some of his honey colored bangs out of his eyes. Ivan glanced around the ship and then produced a small spyglass from his pocket. Alfred's eyes grew wide at the shiny instrument and he sat up as he stared at it. Ivan dangled the bronze tool in front of the toddler's eyes. Alfred's head moved slightly with the spyglass's movement. "Hold out your hands," Ivan spoke in a thick, Russian accent. Alfred glanced at Ivan before holding out his hands under the dangling spyglass. Ivan placed the tool in Alfred's eager hands and warned him, "Do not break this or lose it. Give it back to me when you are done playing."

Alfred grinned and agreed, "Okay!" He then proceeded to run around the ship, staring through the spyglass. Ivan watched the toddler from afar and waited until it was another sailor's turn to take over. Alfred stopped at the door that led to the kitchen before he realized he should probably return the amazing spyglass. He hurried back to Ivan and held out the spyglass. "'Ank you," He said and released the tool when Ivan had a hold of it.

"Пожалуйста. Say 'Спасибо'. It is 'thank you' in Russian," Ivan squatted in front of the toddler and instructed.

Alfred nodded in an over-exaggerated manner which caused his whole body to sway forward and back. He smiled as he tried to pronounce the word. "Спасибо," he said in a rather mutilated accent and then ran off to have a different adventure in the kitchen. Alfred pulled open the wooden door and saw Ludwig cleaning up small messes that Feliciano had left. The toddler eyed the pot on the fire and inhaled the scents of the spices in the pasta sauce Feliciano was making. Alfred stumbled after the smell until he stood next to the Italian teenager. "Feli," Alfred pulled on Feliciano's shorts, "Feli, I wan some!"

"Buongiorno, Alfred," Feliciano smiled brightly and took a wooden spoon from the counter. He dipped it in the sauce and held the sample to Alfred's lips. Alfred's tongue peaked out from between his lips and tasted the sample. "How is it?" Feliciano asked.

The toddler hummed with delight and took the wooden spoon from Feliciano. He licked the spoon until there was no sauce left. He stared at the empty spoon and then thrusted it back at Feliciano. "I wan some more," Alfred waved the spoon a bit as if it would make Feliciano give him more of the sauce.

Feliciano shook his head and took the spoon. He placed the wooden spoon back on the counter where it was before and continued to cook the sauce. Alfred waited a few seconds before he realized that he was not going to get another sample. He whined, "Feliiiiiiii." When Feliciano did not respond, Alfred repeated his name multiple times. "Feli. Feli. Feli. Feli. Feli," He sang.

Ludwig finally covered Alfred's mouth. "Alfred." Alfred's bright blue eyes looked up to Ludwig. He bluntly stated, "You have to wait until dinner."

Alfred pushed Ludwig's hand away from his face and pouted. He hobbled over to the table and pulled on it. Feliciano and Ludwig watched with wide eyes as Alfred tugged the heavy, wooden table over to the counter. Alfred climbed up on the seat and then the table top. He reached out for the wooden spoon. Ludwig blinked and shook his head to keep his wits about him. He grabbed the wooden spoon before the toddler could. Alfred fell back on the table and sat up. Tears welled up within his eyes as he stared at the spoon longingly. He sniffled and then sobbed.

Feliciano gasped and then left his post. He scooped Alfred up in his arms and patted his back. His gold brown eyes looked to Ludwig, who crossed his arms and firmly shook his head negatively. Alfred turned in Feliciano's arms to face Ludwig. The toddler and Feliciano stared into each other's eyes with sadness and then looked back at Ludwig. Ludwig flinched when both of the people in front of him looked as if they were ready to break down in a fit of sobs.

"Not you, too, Felicano..." Ludwig said as he held the wooden spoon in front of himself to stare at it and then at the two, sad faces by the table.

"I," Feliciano tried to keep his voice from cracking, "I can't help it! To go without food..." He glanced at Alfred and then looked back at Ludwig, "It is such a sad thing!"

"I gave him a hamburger half an hour ago," Ludwig stated, still trying to stay firm. Alfred's sobs seemed to quiet a bit. He rubbed his eyes and the back of his head. "See? He's only crying because he hit his head on the table. He isn't hungry."

Feliciano pleaded, "Please, Ludwig? Please can we give him some more? Just a bit more?"

Ludwig paused and then sighed in frustration. He dipped the wooden spoon in the delicious sauce and then held the wooden spoon to Alfred's lips. An open mouthed smile immediately appeared on Alfred's face. He eagerly licked and sucked on the spoon to be sure he lapped up all the sauce there was on the spoon. He hummed with delight, "'Ank you, Ludwid!" His eyes widened in realization and he corrected himself, "Спасибо!"

"Was that Russian?" Ludwig asked.

Alfred nodded with all of his body yet again. "Was 'ank you in... in... um..."

"In German?" Ludwig took a cloth and wiped some excess sauce from Alfred's cheek. Alfred nodded again. "'Thank you' in German is 'danke'."

"Donkay," Alfred grinned as he pronounced the word. He then looked expectantly at Feliciano. "Feli, donkay," He giggled briefly.

Feliciano blinked blankly and then looked to Ludwig for guidance. Ludwig shook his head lightly and then helped out his fellow crewmate, "He wants to know what 'thank you' is in Italian."

"Oh," Feliciano smiled in response and then educated Alfred, "Grazie."

"Gadzee," Alfred tried the new word and decided he liked it. "Gadzee. Gadzee. Gadzee," He hummed and squirmed in Feliciano's arms. Feliciano placed Alfred down on the floor and hurried back to his station at the fire. Ludwig watched Alfred run out of the kitchen, singing about the two new words he learned.

Alfred hopped up and down across the deck, watching his powder white shirt moving with him. He stopped in front of the railing that bordered the ship's deck and stared up at the net like ladder which led up to the crow's nest. Alfred eyed the crow's nest and wondered what he could see from up there. Perhaps he could see the whole world! It certainly seemed tall enough.

Before Alfred could try to climb such a height, Arthur stepped out of his cabin. His attire no longer seemed to show what a magnificent pirate captain he really was. In fact, there was no large hat; no sword at his side. Alfred ran over to Arthur and examined his clothing. Alfred patted his own head and mumbled, "Had!"

Arthur smiled warmly at Alfred before squatting down to the toddler's height. "I can't wear my captain's hat in the town, Alfred. Whenever we stop at this port, we can't let whoever's there know that we're pirates."

Alfred had confusion scribbled across his face. Arthur picked up Alfred and barked out orders to the crew to lower the pirate flag and raise the flag of his mother European state. The crew rushed around to disguise the ship as Arthur walked to the wheel of the ship. He explained to Alfred, "Alfred, you're not going to believe this, but pirates are thought to be evil." Alfred gasped incredulously, causing Arthur to hold back a laugh. "The townsfolk don't like us and they want to put us in the brig. At least that's what they want to do to the crew."

Alfred gripped Arthur's clean shirt, "No! Ludwid, Feli, Iven... No, dey're nod bad!"

Arthur sighed and figured he would have to explain how pirates committed crimes and plundered. "And they don't like me very much either," he continued. "They..." He debated on telling Alfred the rest and decided not to, "They just don't like me either." Alfred nuzzled his cheek into Arthur's shirt in strong disbelief. "But it's alright, poppet. As long as the townsfolk don't find out that we're pirates, we're safe. Just don't talk about pirates, okay, Alfred?"

Alfred pulled back from Arthur's shirt and looked into his emerald eyes. He nodded and then grinned. "We go lan?"

Arthur tilted his head up slightly and glanced at the harbor's awaiting presence. "Yes, we're going to go to land." He attempted to swallow some saliva in his dry mouth, but could not. The only worry and fear he could muster was for Alfred. He hoped dearly there were no occupants of the Middle American Kingdom relaxing in the harbor.

The disguised ship eased its way into the harbor and docked safely. The second the gangplank was lowered and set in place, Alfred leaped out of Arthur's arms and sprinted down the wooden slope. Arthur's eyes widened. He ran down the gangplank and shouted, "Alfred!" To Arthur's dismay, Alfred did not stop. The toddler did not even slow down. In fact, Alfred sped up. In response, Arthur ran faster. "ALFRED!" He shouted louder.

Alfred tripped over a rope and flew a few feet before he landed against the dock. Arthur stopped running when he caught up with Alfred. He squatted down and sat Alfred up. "Are you okay, Alfred?" Worry was quite apparent on Arthur's face. When Alfred giggled and showed Arthur that he was perfectly fine, Arthur let out a huge sigh of relief. He shook his head and then glared lightly into those vivid blue eyes. "You do not run from me when I call you," His tone of voice was frighteningly serious.

Alfred stared back at Arthur with a blank expression. Tears welled up in his eyes and he coughed out incoherent babbles. It took a few seconds for Arthur to realize that Alfred merely wanted to see what the sand felt like. Arthur sighed and pulled a cloth from his pocket. "Alfred," He said in a gentle voice, "come now. Stop your tears. I was frightened that something bad could have happened to you." Alfred sniffled and paid attention to what was being said. "You can't run so far from me; not when we're off the ship." When Alfred started to play with the fringe on the cloth that Arthur had taken out, Arthur decided to tuck away the handkerchief and scoop up the toddler in his arms. He walked towards the seaside town and explained, "Listen, Alfred. There are bad people in the world and if you're not near me, I can't protect you from them. Do you understand?"

Arthur glanced down when Alfred began mumbling. The toddler was feeling the white shirt Arthur wore and hummed under his breath about colors and how soft the shirt felt. Honestly, could Alfred never pay attention to a word he said? On a side note, Alfred seemed to be quite the musical child. Alfred stopped his fascination with Arthur's shirt once they had entered the town. Sweet smells from the bakery and hearty laughter from the taverns, caused the young toddler's head to shoot from one sight to another as a bird's head would; fast and vigilant. Although all the smells and sights were quite new, the sound Arthur's shoes made when they walked on the stone street was what Alfred was most interested in. He struggled in Arthur's arms, wanting to be put down so he could make his feet click against the stone as well.

Alfred ceased his squirming when Arthur strolled into a shop of some sort. Saliva watered in Alfred's mouth when he saw all the delicious treats in the bakery's display. The light from the windows and doorway kissed the cranberry pie and caressed every fruit tart. The various colors of purple and pink along with the warm orange were something that Alfred never really had the pleasure of seeing. The dessert that stood out the most was the modest, creamy yellow custard. Immediatley, Alfred pointed at it, "Awdur! Awdur, I wan dad one!" He reached for the yellow dessert.

"I can hear you, Alfred," Arthur responded in level headed tone. "Feliciano is cooking dinner. You don't need that lemon custard." He went back to his conversation with the baker. He spoke in a hushed voice, "Do you know anything about the coup in the Middle American Kingdom?"

The baker, an old friend of sorts, nodded and responded. "Si," His usually bright smile was kept hidden and he spoke seriously, "it has begun to spread to the Northern American Kingdom." His vibrant yellow green eyes glanced at Alfred's stretching arm. He smiled lightly and picked up the lemon custard. Alfred eyed it hungrily. "I see that the younger prince is doing very well."

"It's thanks to you and many others, Antonio," Arthur looked at the custard, "without you and Lovino stationed here, keeping an eye on the most recent news, we may have been caught by now. And Alfred..." He bit his lip as he thought of what the rebels would do and closed his eyes. "Thank you for your services," Arthur opened his eyes just in time to see Antonio plant the custard in Alfred's awaiting hands. "Wait a tick," Arthur lifted the custard out of Alfred's hands, "I just told him he couldn't have this."

Antonio sighed and rested his cheek in his hand. "How often does Alfred get to come to town?" He asked. "This is my first time seeing him."

"I'm trying not to spoil him," Arthur admitted and eyed the custard. He sighed after a few seconds and let Alfred have the dessert. Alfred hummed in joy and proceeded to gobble up the tasty treat. "But I'm not doing a very good job."

"You are doing a fine job," Antonio reached over the bakery counter and patted Arthur's shoulder. "He is healthy, hidden, and happy. What more could he want?"

Arthur smiled lightly and looked past Antonio to see a teenager who had a strong resemblance to Feliciano. "Is this Lovino?" He asked.

The boy's eyes widened lightly. Antonio turned halfway around and his bright smile was back on his face. "Si," He held out a hand to the young Italian, "Lovi, come here. I want to show you someone." Reluctantly, Lovino stepped out of the dark shadows and stood beside Antonio. He crossed his arms and a light scowl graced his young face. "This is Arthur," He held up a hand towards the disguised pirate captain.

"Good afternoon, Lovino," Arthur nodded his head in greeting.

Lovino made a sound of acknowledgement and then grimaced at Alfred who was nearly done scarfing down his lemon custard. There was evidence of the dessert all over the toddler's face and even on his clothing as well. Antonio leaned over and whispered in Lovino's ear, "This is one of the two twins we have been secretly fighting to protect. He is a prince."

Arthur glanced around the empty bakery as if it were filled with spies. He unconsciously held onto Alfred a little tighter. Lovino muttered in a sour tone, "He doesn't look like one." He picked up a clean rag and leaned over the counter. Lovino rubbed the cloth against Alfred's cheeks and nose to rid the cherub face of the dessert's essence. "Kids are so messy," He huffed and stood straight again.

"Is there anything else I shall need to know, Antonio?" Arthur asked and turned slightly to leave.

Antonio shook his head with a smile. "You're safe. There hasn't been any rumors other than the one that tells there may be an heir to the throne existing. No one really knows anything yet."

"Let's work to keep it that way," Arthur spoke up to speak in his normal tone. "Thank you, Antonio and Lovino. Alfred, what would you like to say to Antonio?"

Alfred looked up from the stain on his shirt and then he looked at the Spaniard and Italian behind the bakery counter. "'Ank you! Спасибо! Donkay! An... An gadzee!" He waved and then bounced in Arthur's arms, "Shews, shews, shews, shews!"

Arthur laughed briefly and breathlessly. He nodded back at Antonio before walking out of the bakery into the sun's blinding light. Antonio's grin softened slightly. "That kid is going to be the king of the Middle American Kingdom," Lovino stated in a low tone.

Antonio nodded in response, "Si."

"Why is it our job to protect him if he isn't even from the European States? He's not going to rule us at all," Lovino muttered.

Antonio glanced at the Italian from the corners of his eyes. His eyelids slumped slightly and his grin turned into a serious, straight line. "Lovi," He faced the teenager, "The United Kingdom of North and Middle America is an extremely strong power. The European Kingdom and its states depend on the North and Middle American Kingdoms just as they depend on us. For centuries, the kingdoms have been intertwined. It is obvious when you see so many different people in our culture. If the government of the United Kingdom of North and Middle America happen to fall into corrupted hands, then there is no telling how fast or which way the world will fall."

"But isn't the king of Middle America cruel and vicious?" Lovino crossed his arms and argued, "I think they're in corrupted hands now."

Antonio continued in his explanation, "The king of Middle America is decisive and competent. Because he is quick to go to war and win, many of his people say he's bloodthirsty. They never understand that the king rules with such intolerance in order to protect the kingdom. If the king wasn't so dedicated to building up his military and navy, the United Kingdom of North and Middle America would be attacked left and right and the deaths would increase dramatically. The king has proven what a strong nation he shares with the North American king. The entire world knows that attacking the United American Kingdoms is nearly the same as poking an angry bear with a stick. So many people misunderstand the king and call him cruel and vicious, but they don't even realize what would happen if the current king is dethroned. For the safety of the world, we must protect the two, infant princes. Arthur and Francis must teach the princes about what is right and wrong and how to be competent."

Lovino finally looked away from Antonio. He did not want to answer him, knowing that he was wrong. Lovino shook his head and hurried back into the kitchen after muttering something about Alfred eating the last serving of lemon custard.

Antonio smiled again. He knew that Lovino could understand. The sixteen year old just did not want to admit it. The bell that hung from the doorframe of the bakery rang out. Antonio faced the door to welcome the customer. "Hola, welcome," His words died on his lips. His eyes widened when he saw the navy blue coat with gold trimmings wave at the hems due to the sea's wind. The customer advanced to the counter as he held a timid looking toddler in his arms.

"Bonjour, Antonio," The customer smiled brightly. "It has been a while, mon ami. You have met Mattieu, have you not?"

Antonio nodded stiffly. He gulped and mentally prayed that Francis Bonnefoy would not mistakenly run into Arthur Kirkland.

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><p><strong>I really, really hope that this is a substantial enough chapter. Please tell me if you think future chapters should be longer or not. Just... Alfred's cuteness in this chapter... I want to hug him.<strong>


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